Gymgirl wrote:
Although it seems a bit premature, if you haven't perused (or started) the seed catalogs, placed your orders, ripped the dying, raggedy plants out, started topping off your ferts and sprays, started collecting more compost and amendments, turned, tilled and toiled, you are BURNING daylight on the fall/winter VEGGIE growing season!

Whew!

Seems like we just planted tomatoes, and already it's time to start seedlings for MORE tomatoes for a possible fall/wtr garden, and decide what else we're planting for the fall crop. We're making our gardening lists and checking them twice! So, jump on board here, and let's get started on the NEXT go-round.

Start with the veggie variety lists you're planning for the fall/winter gardens!

I have a very hilly yard here and I just could not get in gardenbeds in a lot of areas unless I terraced. Mine are stone but I could never have done it myself. Had to hire out to get it done. At 65 I know my limits, ha-ha. I do love to do almost everything in my garden. Well, who loves to weed, but otherwise I just love to be doing something in the garden. But besides just not knowing how to build terraced walls, hauling all those pavers and rocks and stuff would be too much.

For instance, I am planning on extending the length of one of my tomato bed areas. That would be easy enough to get done but there is a tree in the way. Not a very big one but it needs to come out. I was looking at it yesterday and wondering how in the world I will be able to dig up this tree, even if it is only about 8 foot high and scraunny. I will be having to get help on that. Then I can do the rest myself.

Linda...wow a visit from GA all the way to TX. What a trip! Your new grow bed looks great! Nice and deep.

I have materials to make beds but I am undecided on how , size, and which materials I really want to use.
I have 300 12inch long cinder blocks. They were given to me and all I had to do was go get them and I paid somebody $100 to do that.
I am not crazy about the cinder holes and I can either live with it or make wood frames to go on top so I don't have to deal with the holes. I like growing by the square foot and those cinder holes interfere with my square fts.

I have hundreds of plants that have germinated and I have at least 4 weeks to get my beds ready.

Cricket,
If it's in your budget, there are capstones that sit on top of the "holes". You could double up on the sides, maybe, and have walled seating for your garden guests with your raised beds.

That was the original plan for my raised beds, but I was in a hurry, and getting someone in to build all those cinder block beds wasn't in my budget. Plus, I decided if I go with stone, it'll be pavers that match the existing beds.

My delivery of supplies for my garden extension came this morning; I ordered it last night. A huge truck plus forklift that drives into my back yard and puts it exactly where I want it is soooo much easier than hauling the stuff around myself. The delivery fee is worth it. But apparently I messed up and didn't order pressure treated wood, so I guess I need to go buy some linseed oil and a couple of throw-away paint brushes and go through that mess again to treat it.

LOL, the "white stuff" underneath is a layer of excelsior from my office.

The pad had been covered all last year with a heavy sheet of dark plastic, after we took down the storage building, to keep the grass/weeds from filling it in. Since I was getting close to filling this 2nd bed, I had put a thick layer of cardboard, a bucketful of coffee grinds, and a layer of shredder paper down on the pad last week, to try to draw earthworms to the soil underneath.

The cardboard has broken down beautifully with all the rain we had, and the coffee juice has percolated down into the soil. Just a matter of time before the worms show up.

Now that the bed's ready, I just have to dig the post holes to set and level it, then throw all the filling I have into it. I'll need to cover the soil over so the grass and weed seeds don't blow in. It'll sit and rest for about the next 6 weeks while the seedlings grow and get ready to jump in! Hopefully, the worms will have arrived by then, too.

Later, when the weather cools off, I'll install a tomato frame over the end, just like you see in RB #1. Those drop lines are the bomb! Soooooooooo easy to anchor the tomato vines! Thank you again, Cricket!

I'm reposting the pic here, so folks won't think we're all hallucinating about a raised bed!

GG your new raised bed is lovely! I too have added a new gardening bed. I am going to be setting out my fall Three Sisters garden this week! Or at least the first round of transplants. Hooray!

I started the first round of seeds for the corn and squash indoors on July 5th. The second round on July 17th. They grew very quickly. Almost all of the seeds germinated within three days and then shot up like weeds.I have not decide if I want to transplant them out at the same time, or wait a week to see how the first round does. I plan to direct sow the beans.

Does anyone else grow a fall crop of corn? This will be my first attempt.

Oh and for those of you interested in variety I am using:

Sweet Corn-Trinity Hybrid
Kentucky Wonder Green Beans

The squash variety is a little up in the air. My two year old received a mini gardening set from his grandmother. It came with a wheelbarrow and a bunch of oversized "seed packets". He knew right away his seeds were fake so I poured the corn,bean, and squash seeds I was planning on using in a bowl and let him separate them based on shape. Later he found my other squash seeds, recognized the shape and did a little mixing of his own.

I agree, I get so excited looking a new gardening areas, whether they are mine or not :0)
Looking wonderful, Linda!

Soo, I have a question regarding seedlings. How leggy is too leggy? I asked the hubby to find me an extension cord for my lights and didn't realized he plugged them in with the light too far above the seedlings. Within a day they shot up! My gut tells me to start over, but I'm wondering if anyone has salvaged legging seedlings?

I would never dare try to grow corn. The racoons would have a feast ha-ha! I have them here every night. You can hear them trilling and often fighting. They love to play in the ponds at night. After dark all I usually have to do is look out my kitchen door to see some.

The only wild creatures we have in my neighborhood have scales, feathers, or exoskeletons. I am trying to imagine looking out my kitchen window and seeing a furry creature (other than my dog). I don't even think we have any roaming neighborhood cats.

GG: I sure like your 'box' that you built. I know what you mean about needing some 'brute' strength for some of the projects on "the list". I'm NOT used to having to ask a guy for help on my projects but I'm having to get-over-it because I just can't do it all anymore. I blame it on this TEXAS HEAT... ugh... makes even the simple tasks hard. The only thing about needing a guy's help is having to WAIT on their schedule. ugh. Oh well... it-is-what-it-is.

Yay my seedlings are starting to look better...I hate whatever seed starter I used (I think it was Scott's) still have a bit of yellow and some crispy tips but we have new growth. These things are going to be huge by the time I put them out.

We got our black eyed peas planted today. I'm using old seed (from 2010), so I planted A LOT of seeds in 3 rows down my bed. Watch every single stinkin' one will sprout and I'll be thinning seedlings for weeks! LOL We planted them close together hoping that they'll help support each other.

I'm thinking your going to have good germination, those BEP are pretty tuff and long storing, just saying..get ready for good crop :0)
I've used short stakes and made a simple raised 'box outline' with string to hold up bush types. Not necessary, but if you have the supplies on hand it can keep them out of your path and take up less space.
Your a brave lady, Stephanie. This heat is getting to me!

Lynea, we do have the stuff on hand. I'll have to mention that to Mark. We last grew black-eyed peas in 2010 and had a very good crop. We grew them next to some bush beans. The BEP did okay staying upright, but those beans were all over the place! LOL Someone here on DG mentioned planting the peas close together helps them to stay upright better. We shall see! If they start flopping in the walkway, we'll prop them up.

Cleaned out the "warm" seedling room yesterday, and ready to start sowing seeds this evening.

I have three of the Gardener's Supply 15-cell Deep Root APS trays (45 seedlings), and enough 6 oz. yogurt cups to end up with a total of 110 seedlings. Of course, there'll be many more cause when I thin them out, I can't bear to just toss a seedling. So, all the multiples will get to live, too.

No matter. I've got lots of friends waiting in the wings.

Starting cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and onion seeds.

The 2nd RB is in place and I've started layering shredder paper, and coffee grinds on the bottom. Will start tossing in some bags of the Moo-Nure and more layering of shredder and grinds, then top off with my RB mix (5 pts. pine bark fines, 2 parts peat, 2 parts sharp sand, 1 part vermiculite, 1 part compost, with a lime and fertilizer chaser!

Linda and Stephanie, your beds look great. I'm 1800 miles away from home right now so no planting (shores of the Gulf of Mexico to the shores of Lake Superior). I was tempted to bring salad mix seeds with just so I could plant something but I forgot them at home. I will live vicariously thru everyone here in the meantime!

We planted sweet potatoes as cover crop in every bed that didn't have okra or cucumbers growing in them, 2 beds of zucchini, 3 beds of yellow squash, about 10 beds of assorted cucumbers, 10 beds of okra, 2 beds of Arkansas Traveler tomatoes, 2 salad mix and 1 arugula bed before we left just so we would have something to harvest when we get home in
September.I left two beds of Italian eggplant, 2 beds of bell peppers and 2 beds of hot peppers growing. I grow Centennial and Georgia Jet sweeties and had planted some White Triumph and a dark skinned orange from Whole Foods but the WT didn't grow. The company replaced them with a red skinned white Japanese variety which I planted right before we left. Hope they do well. Whole farm is on automatic water this year so nothing will die of thirst.

I pulled every weed before leaving but I know it will be a jungle when I get back! Bud turned the compost pile the day we left.

I was planning on starting my lesson plans for the upcoming school year today, but it we had rain clouds outside (again!).
I was so excited to see the clouds I went outside and seeded some Swiss chard instead!

My boyfriend was helping me in the hot sun last weekend to extend the garden. First, he says, "I thought we weren't going to do this until fall!" It's gardening fall, honey. Then, he insisted I didn't need any more garden space -- until I reminded him how annoyed he gets that I don't grow enough peas or radishes.

He wasn't really complaining, tho; he's a good egg even if I do have to keep him away from the power tools. :D

Already on the pilgrimage! Lots of work to do when I get back and today I started getting emails from people wanting tours. No rest! Looks like a tropical depression is in the Gulf but we took covers off greenhouses before leaving and rolled the sides up and put hurricane shutters on all windows. Can't head home, have a wedding to attend this Tuesday.

That would be great, except sometimes they hit the peninsula and head for TX. We sure could use the rain, but don't need wind. My okra was 5-6 ft tall when I left and the fig and citrus trees were loaded with fruit.

I've put my home recipe potting mix in a flat and watered it well. Tomorrow I'll sow some chinese cabbage seeds. I've never grown these before, but from what I read on the seed package, they grow very quickly.

Every 10 minutes I popped a huge bowl of seed starter mix into the microwave to sterilize it. Trays all prepped and sitting on the light stand just waiting for me to fill those cups and cells, and drop seeds.

And did I do it? NO! Cuz I kept looking at all those containers of pine bark on my patio and that big empty raised bed and I'm thinking "I can knock this out in no time."

Well, "NO TIME" started at 9:30am, and ended at 8pm. And, I only filled half the box, and no seeds got started.

Had to stop to go get more vermiculite for the mix, and it was a welcome break. Picked up a couple bags of cotton burr compost to top off this bed when it's finally filled, tomorrow...

I mixed 5 pts. PBFs, and 2 pts. Each peat, sharp sand, composted manure, and vermiculite. Sand is very heavy.

Sure hope I can move tomorrow...

Will mix up three more batches to fill it, and then mix MG potting soil, and the cotton burr compost for the top 4". That outta keep those hungry hippos happy for awhile.

Linda, I have days like yours. I remember putting okra seeds in warm water to soak and finally got to them 2 days later. They still germinated very well. Bud calls it the "but first" syndrome.. I will do one thing, but first let me do this quick job...

Harvested speckled butterbeans today. I only have 5 vines but got about a pint of shelled beans. With all this rain, Im mostly growing bermuda grass, not by choice of course. Also got some guava from my neighbor's tree. They moved and no one has bought the house yet. I love the scent of those lovely fruits and they tasted good too.

did you know you can re grow those celery stalks that you buy at the grocery store?
I started some celery from seed but they are so tiny and taking forever. I came across this and lights came on all over the place.
I want to try this...and I want to grow mine in an Earthbox so I can control the environment by moving the planter around where ever it needs to be.http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/growing-celery-indoors-never-buy-celery.html

So it's time for me to start cabbage and broccoli. The 100º temps are not encouraging me to do anything except stay inside! LOL

The black eyed pea seeds I started a week and a half ago are going like gangbusters! Time to thin them out. I think I'll take some and relocate them into areas where no seeds fell or where the seeds didn't germinate.

We get frost and freezes during winter and I plan on putting mine in front of a south window when it gets too cold here but until then, I will start them indoors in the window and pot it up once and by the time the temps start to cool off, I can put it outside until frosty nights arrive and then bring my earthbox to the south window again. My celery seedlings might be big enough to plant by then too and I can fill the earth box up with celery seedlings and green onions and etc... that link had other veggie rooting ideas too.
I also read one about some type of long semi headed lettuce that can be done the same way...i cant remember what type lettuce it was...but as long as you had the trimmed root end, you could make it grow.

Linda, that bed is the first raised bed we ever built. (I use the term "we" very loosely since Mark did all the work! LOL) It's filled with a layer of carboard, that has probably decomposed by now, compost from our own compost pile, dirt from our yard, some more compost from a local company, and then some other amendments like expanded shale, Texas green sand, cotton burr compost, and mushroom compost. It has TONS of worms in it, too. When we turned the soil before planting, we found an ant bed, so we mixed in some dry molasses. Not only will that feed the soil, it'll take care of the ants.

We have so many different kinds of ants, and I do not know their names, but I would like them out of the kitchen and the garden. You can never kill ALL the ants. My husband goes around with a spray can of Raid...it will kill what he sees, but there are always more. I think all the queens live about a mile down under the ground. They just keep making more of them.

There was a pretty long thread called "regrowing store bought celery" in the beginner vegetable forum earlier this year. I don't know how to link it,but if you do a search it will come up. Anyway a bunch of people experimented with it. Those of you who are going to try it may want to take a look.

stephanietx - I noticed on the label that the dried enriched molasses you use also contains soybean hulls. Is this an organic product? If not, are the soybeans genetically modified? Most soybeans grown in the USA are genetically modified to resist Roundup.

I have some started but you've inspired me to start more. Had a out patient surgery on my eye yesterday so can't play with dirt for a day or so but I'll toss them in towards the end of the week. My tomatoes are huge, so I've got to start hardening them off..As soon as it cools a bit I'll get them in the ground...before they take over the grow room.

Which tomatoes do you have started? The three from cuttings are alive, but not looking all that great. Plus, I planted them BEHIND some okras that (duh) are taking over the neighborhood...

However, the four VOLUNTEER tomato seedlings I found are looking great! And, wouldn't you know it, two of them cooperated by showing up in the EB where the onions were!

What did you start already in the brassica family? I'm throwing all the compost I can find into that 2nd raised bed for those hippos. Spent ALL day Saturday (9am - 8pm) mixing up my soil mix, and TRYING to fill that bed. Only made it halfway before the body gave out...

Moved on to an indoor project...

Back to soil mixing, and bed-filling today. Supposed to rain on Saturday. That means indoor games...

I don't know about the soybeans. I do know that Nature's Guide does organic stuff only. I don't know if that's the brand we've purchased in the past, but I was trying to show what I was talking about regarding Dry Molasses.

We ripped out the pole beans this morning. They were looking pathetic and hadn't produced anything for the past month. Makes room for something else in the garden! Mark and I talked about where we're going to plant things this fall. Does that count for anything? LOL

Well, I am planning for were I will expand one of my tomato beds so I can plant more tomatoes next year. But so far lots of thinking and no doing. So I wonder if that really counts LOL?

There is another place would be perfect for a veggie garden in my yard. It is a slightly raised bed, seven foot square. In the middle of the 7 foot square is another raised section thee foot square. I can just see that three foot square used for pole beans next year. All I need do is put in some posts and netting. I could leave it open on one side for access, then grow beans on three sides of the square. I think it would be perfect for pole beans.

Then the outside section of the big square could have tomatoes. All I need do is move about 30 or so Tall Bearded iris plants. I have been looking at this raised bed thinking veggie garden since late this spring but haven;t done anything. Maybe I will take some pictures of the way it is not and post them so you all can see what I mean.

I need to join or buy the book he has, I'm going nuts with having 3 or 4 guides telling me when to plant. The tomatoes are more than large enough and are going out for 1/2 days so i can put them out now if they could live

So few gardening books are written for hot climates, especially hot humid ones. Instead we are stuck reading books for climates that don't have our ruthless weeds and pests and claim everything is oh-so-simple and if you really, really wish hard Tinkerbell will be okay and you can conquer bermuda grass with a little straw mulch.

That said, a hot muggy August is when southern gardeners curl up with the seed catalogs and favorite garden books instead of when there's snow outside. My favorites are:

Ashworth's "Seed to Seed" -- I used to live down the road from her, and yeah, Northern California is a whole different garden world, but she includes regional variances when important, too.

Coleman's "Four Season Harvest" -- We are definitely not New England here! But it's good inspirational material and it's what got me to seriously work at non-summer gardening, which is SO much easier here than the summer season. And you can flip some of his ideas and make cooler micro climates, too.

Jeavon's "How to Grow More Vegetables" -- Another Northern California guru, and you can't transplant his method here intact, but there is so much good research in the book it has something for every region.

Solomon's "Gardening When it Counts" -- Granted, he thinks that it's impossible to grow anything in the soil conditions we have in the southeast (which is utterly wrong), but I still think he has a much-needed viewpoint for balance against all the trendy garden books that insist you can grow healthy plants in zero soil. There's a time and a place for layering and companion planting, but you need more tools in your toolbelt if you are growing for cost effective food production instead of merely as a hobby.

I really like "The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You'll Ever Face; Answers to Every Question You'll Ever Ask" by Barbara W. Ellis. It is somewhat simplistic, but reading it just makes me happy. I like the set-up (Dear Abby, Question and answer style by crop).

Whenever I start seeds for a crop I haven't grown in a few months I pull it out and look it over. It helps feed/subdue my excitement. I realize that is a contradictory statement but I hope anyone who has ever looked at a seed catalog will understand my meaning.

Well,
Looks like I'm following the same (successful) schedule I was on last year!

One thing I'll do differently though, is start hardening off the cabbages, cauliflowers, and broccoli about 3 weeks earlier than I did last year. I was worried about the heat outside and kept them in longer, but, not this time!

They're gonna sulk either indoors or outdoors until the cool sets in, so, long as I get a drip system in place to keep the soil moist, they're gonna sulk outside!

Also, I'm not gonna plant just one huge batch of veggies for one humongous harvest all at once. The adjusted plan this year will have me starting seeds indoors every 4 weeks, so I can fill in vacant spaces from mid-September until the last batch goes in around December 21 (the Winter Solstice will be the cut off). I have to time the last batch to mature and come out by mid-February when I'll need the space to set the tomato seedlings out.

And, they WILL be out by mid-February...

Could those of you who are planting in raised beds share what you're grouping together in each bed, please? I have four targeted growing areas, and realize the garlic alone will need to occupy one of those spaces for at least 6-8 months!

Has anyone grown garlic in a container? Like one of those shallow, under-bed flats that are about 8-11" deep and long and narrow? I'm thinking I could press one into service so I don't tie up my beds with the garlic. If push comes to shove, I can use one of my Earthboxes for garlic alone.

I was reading in Dr. Bob's Big Book last night that you can direct sow them outside into large pots, or seed flats, but keep them shaded outside. Once they're established to 1-2", you can separate and transplant them. Saves on potting mix doing it this way.

From my observation, I'd say it's still too hot outside for the brassicas, and will be until around mid- to late-September (preferably mid-October). That's why I started just a fraction of mine inside, where it's a tiny bit cooler. The trick is to get them started, but not keep them confined past about 6 true leaves, or they'll stall.

Last year I kept mine inside for almost 8 weeks before hardening them off, and they still took forever once outside. But this year they're going outside soon as I see 4 true leaves. They'll be hardy enough to withstand the waning heat, and the pill bugs, and I can better keep them moist. I'll keep them growing under the shade of the patio so that, soon as the weather starts to change, I can set them with (hopefully) no problems.

Steph,
Here's another option I may use again for starting some of my brassicas outdoors. Definitely for starting the finicky spinach!

I did this last season with some herb seeds and it was THE BOMB! So totally EZ, and having the seedlings come up in an individual pvc tube is a great tool to avoid having to tease them apart from a seed tray! Just push each one out with very little root disturbance. The hardest part was cutting all the pvc tubes. I have a hand-held tool, but, I've discovered an much easier one I have to pick up soon. My tubes were 2" diameter (thin walled interior)

Gymgirl wrote:Could those of you who are planting in raised beds share what you're grouping together in each bed, please? I have four targeted growing areas, and realize the garlic alone will need to occupy one of those spaces for at least 6-8 months!

I usually only double up my plantings in time -- for example, planting seeds in the bed where I know I'll be removing something soon. That change from year to year -- I just find empty or soon to be empty spots and plant whatever needs planting and fits into my rotation. If I plant things together ala square foot gardening in this climate, too much water and outside inputs are required, for one, and it also makes it harder to see emerging problems (like tomato blight) when there are other plants in the way.

There are a few exceptions. I'll plant trellised peas with small root vegetables like carrots, garden turnips and beets. It doesn't seem to affect the productivity of either and I can clearly see all the plants, and the peas don't seem to be bothered by having their roots disturbed a bit at harvest time. Most herbs seem to prefer to be crowded. This year I also tried sunflowers and runner beans. Both plants seem happy but the beans overwhelmed the sunflowers after it finished carpeting the nearby fence. (And now the luffa gourds are piling on top. I forgot how long those vines get!) Last year the peas and garlic did very well together.

One thing about garlic is that is doesn't take up much space and nothing seems to bother it (other than my dog, who likes the fresh tops). You could do an edging on two sides of your bed -- leaving access in the middle -- or maybe short rows in the middle of your beds with it and plant around it. Or just put it in your landscaping somewhere. I don't think the shallow boxes you are talking about will be deep enough. Something tall but narrow would be better. Kitty litter buckets, maybe?

I'm trying to begin for the first time so I don't have that rotation thing down just yet. Only have one RB going right now. It is RB #1, and has the following growing:
3 tomato seedlings (not bearing anything yet -- only about 1 foot tall)
3 Okra plants (about 28" tall and starting to crank out okras)
17 bell peppers (about 24" tall and cranking out miniature bell peppers...duh...)
6 eggplants (also 24" tall, and setting blossoms)

I just started seeds for the cabbages, cauliflowers, and broccoli, all of which is targeted to go into RB #1 beginning the end of September, or whenever the stuff already in it now stops growing.

RB #2 will be for my root crops of carrots, turnips, beets. What else can I put in there with them?

Oh, both beds are 4 x 8', and I have two more very sunny growing areas approx. 3 x 12' that can be pressed into service. One is on the NW fence line and the other is directly along the North fence line. Sun all day.

NicoleC wrote:So few gardening books are written for hot climates...(and if you really, really wish hard Tinkerbell will be okay and you can conquer bermuda grass with a little straw mulch.)

Ashworth's "Seed to Seed" -- I used to live down the road from her, and yeah, Northern California is a whole different garden world, but she includes regional variances when important, too.

Jeavon's "How to Grow More Vegetables" -- Another Northern California guru, and you can't transplant his method here intact, but there is so much good research in the book it has something for every region.

Yes, Nicole, I think the key word here is regional variances. Both in Texas and Northern CA. We are nothing like the NoCA coast, or even the central valleys. We are hot in summer - dry hot, and cold in winter, yes, snow and frost. We live in the Sierra foothills 20 mountain miles southeast of Placerville. So Sacramento is to the south of us and Lake Tahoe is to the north of us. We are cooler than the valley, but hotter than Lake Tahoe. We do not get as much snow as Lake Tahoe either, thank goodness. So we are also zone 8, but much different in many ways than Texas, but with some similar.

I try to take into account each gardening book and calendar, and try to adjust. Even year to year is different for us, and probably for you as well. We had a mild winter with hardly any snow or frost this year, but the winter before was brutal with blizzard-like conditions with many downed trees and branches. Same thing with spring and summer. Last year I lost many tomatoes that I put out early, and this year, I should have put them out early, as I did not put them out until late May. So next year, I will put out just a few early, and see what happens.

That is the advantage of growing from seed. You do not need to rely on garden centers to provide them for you at a cost of going there, besides the purchase price. Seeds are cheap, and even better if we can save our seeds. They are ready to start in late winter and get ready for the growing season. Then if we lose a few seedlings due to late frosts, we have some in reserve. That is what I will do next year, as this year is a very good "tomato year", and mine are producing well, but not yet ripe. Most of you have already harvested most of your crops. So "live and learn"...hopefully!!

Linda ~ Don't think that people do not appreciate your efforts and the time that you take to share with all of us of you endeavors to establish good gardening habits. Consistant journaling, using lots of compost, and you are not afraid to try something new each year. I have been reading your posts for a few years now, and have been meaning to tell you how much it means to have someone there to share their hard-earned efforts with all of us. THANK YOU!! ^_^

I remember when I started at Dave's and TPlant, Horseshoe (my Ubie Wahn Shooie!), Tapla, and Famerdill took me under their wings. I must've asked a hundred million questions back then, and I still do.

I was born to teach, and if I can help a newbie along the way like I was helped, then, it goes full circle!

Hugs!

P.S. Thanks for the compost reminder. Somehow I was getting hung up on MANURE amendments, and, in reading Dr. Bob's book, there was a sentence that jumped off the page. COMPOST, COMPOST, COMPOST is what I should have bags, er, mountains of!

Oh heavens, Linda... I'd put maybe 3 tomatoes in a 4x8' bed and then I'd have to prune them to fit! I don't know how you fit all that in there!

I'd trellis the peas up over your root veggie bed. You could grow some radishes in there as well since they mature so fast.

Cabbages and broccoli I give a minimum of 2' square (if they are standard sized.) Waltham butternut gets really big; it typically covers about 200 square feet untrellised for me if I push the runners back to the center. So I'd stick those in your landscape beds. (Plus they are pretty.) It's a little dicey to trellis Waltham butternut since they get so big.

That leaves your second bed for lettuce and spinach... and maybe the onions? I'm not sure about the onions since I don't grow them.

Steph,
Yeah, another piece to push the plugs out would be VERY helpful.

Just a thought on this. Drilling holes in the flat means we're probably watering from the top down, and we want the roots to go deep, right? I'm thinking that setting them into the flat directly on a shallow bed of potting mix, would probably make for better watering. Just fill the flat a couple inches and let the plugs wick the water up.

Maybe drill just ONE drain hole for any overflow. I have LOTS of bucket hole plugs!

I have no idea, but I do know they would need some kind of drainage so the roots are sitting in water all the time. I think maybe sitting the tote on top of some rocks would be better than soil so the roots don't become established.

I cut some top growth off my tomato plants this morning. Do you think it's too late to get them started? My husband, of course, says, "Of course it's not too late!" He loves to experiment!

I have brassicas seedlings up, and, I can't remember how long I need to wait before separating them...I think I waited much too long last time. They were almost 4-6" tall and had multiple sets of true leaves. Should've gone into the garden at that point, instead of being potted up!

I do remember you saying that! Since the garlic needs a sunny? spot, and I have all those Rubbermaid tubs available (35 gallons, about 18" deep), you think I could use those? They don't get brittle at all.

They're the ones I'm growing the sweeties in now. I also have some 25 gallon molasses tubs available. They're 22" deep. What medium should I use to grow garlic in a container?

This afternoon, I get to mow and pump up the tires in the tiller I borrowed. Saturday morning, I am the people-wrangler for a medicinal and ethic vegetable garden tour for our local Food Policy Council, starring *90* different kinds of basil. In the afternoon, I am tilling up my garden extension and installing the raised beds. (I say "raised" but they are half sunken... the fun of living on a slope.)

I haven't ever been good with garlic in containers either. Mine do best in raised beds, silty sandy garden loam gave me the best heads. We get pink rot so have to always be sure onions, grass and garlic had not been growing there for several years. The only area where grass isn't a problem is down by the water which happens to have good garlic growing soil.

Honeybee, how deep do you plant the cloves? I think I plant mine too shallow, only about an inch below the soil. They do okay, they just stick out of the dirt before they're finished.

I incorporated fertilizer and compost into the bed first, then I stuck in my thumb, popped in a clove, covered it up, and hoped for the best! LOL

There were two rows 24ft long. Each row had 44 cloves, I didn't measure how far apart that was. The reason I know how many were set, was that I counted out 100 cloves before I started, and had twelve left over.

I think they are supposed to stick out of the dirt before they are finished. Mine were just below the dirt when I dug them. We had a very mild winter, so I think they kept growing, because they were bigger this year than in previous years.

I plant them about the same Honeybee, guess I was doing it right all along. I use my finger to make the hole, then pop in a clove, push the dirt in to fill around. This year I worked in neem cake and didn't have any pink rot. I had three rows, 42 ft long in a raised bed. I'm going to plant more this year.

Thanks, Guys!
I Googled a website for growing garlic in containers, and my Rubbermaid tubs will do nicely. I was surprised the recommended medium is SOIL-LESS potting mix, to avoid rotting in too-damp soil.

Your thumb/finger holes are spot on, and she says to plant the cloves 1" below the surface.

It gets down to -30 and sometimes -40 here in winter, so I plant my garlic 3" to 5" deep. This was my first year of growing garlic, and this fall I won't plant it in tires, as that really limits the space. They turned out big and beautiful though, with just the plain sandy soil. I grew the German hard neck. I've ordered a different kind to plant with my own bulbs this time. I'm surprised they don't grow garlic commercially here. If I was a big-time farmer, I think I would. Thank you all for advice, that's encouraging and very helpful!

There was this commercial where the Father was standing in the window watching his two teenagers outside shillings snow. As he sips his hot cocoa, he looks at his wife next to him and says, "what?" "I'm not going out there."

Sort of how I felt as I watched the veggies slowly get more and more limp in the heat today. I just couldn't get out in those sweltering temps.

So, I watched the Olympics until it cooled off some. Then, I went out and watered really well, cleaned up fallen leaves from the beds, discovered three long white eggplants I've never grown before, and, since I was on a roll, I turned the compost cans.

After that my chest was pounding hard, so I dragged myself in to the A/C.

Oh, I also made additional plant labels for the multiple seedlings I have coming up. I put at least two seeds in each cell, and looks like most all of them came up. And, I just can,t bear to destroy a perfectly good seedling.

Wow, so much info! I am so envious of your growing season, I'm going to need your help for a raised bed for next year Linda or anyone else remember I live in Montreal and fall and winter can come in a flash. Can you grow garlic now in your zones? I'm still trying to grow it unsuccessfully for a few years.

Wow, I feel like I'm in the middle of a private conversation! So I'll just jump in. I was going to ask about garlic, but reading your various methods I think like Solace and maybe Honeybee I have to plant in early fall, plant deep and cover. It gets too cold here for container planting for garlic, so I'm surprised Solace that it worked in tires. I've heard the German hard neck is supposed to be the best.
Any other advice on garlic?
Sharon

Hugabee, the garlic was so pretty I had to stop myself from cooking with it until I finally got it in the ground, lol. When the scapes (curly things) get about a foot long, trim them off and you can chop them up and cook with them. They're delicious and taste like garlic. I let one stay, just to see what it would do and it made a seed head. Unfortunately, I harvested it when it was blooming, by accident so will forever wonder. When I removed the tires from the garlic patch yesterday, they were FILLED with earthworms! What a bonus. They must love that environment. I mulched the garlic after planting with grass clippings, since our winters are so cold here. Planted five per tire. I'm going to plant some that I harvested along with another kind I ordered (can't remember the name, but it's also a hardneck) outside and inside the greenhouse if I ever get it built. It's already getting chilly at night here- in the 40's last night...so I don't have much time to do a ton of things I need to do. I've started clearing for the beds that will (hopefully) be in the greenhouse, though. I cook a lot with garlic, no matter what the food, lol. Italian and Mexican food, mainly. What would the world be like without garlic and onions? Pretty bland, I'd say :)

Hi Solace,
Thanks for the info. Wow, where r u that it's getting chilly already? I thought Montreal was bad! I'm thinking 5" should work. They sell the curly scrapes here at the farmers market in late spring early summer. I understand they are quite delicious. I'm from a Lebanese background and garlic and onions are a staple! I just have to pick my spot. I'm thinking of planting them where I have some tomatoes growing. Do you add anything else to the soil? I really want to try again!
Thanks,
Sharon

hugobee, I'm in southern Colorado in the Rocky Mountains. The altitude here is 7,763 feet. Garlic & onions, yes, we are kindred spirits! :) I added some cheap potting soil from Family Dollar (all I had at the time) and mixed it into my sandy garden soil. I put chicken wire beneath the tires to prevent moles, although, I think they might be small enough to go through that, in retrospect. The soil here is very alkaline, so I'm surprised they did so well, without any correction of the ph. Perhaps they like alkalin soil? Who knew? I just mulched with the grass clippings so the snow and ice wouldn't be too hard on them, and when they came up I was excited. I watered them when they got dry, and later on not as much. I probably could have given them more water, but they seemed to develop nicely without more. I guess it depends on the weather, though, really. The sun's really a scorcher at this altitude. In fact, my son told me I probably wouldn't have to heat the greenhouse this winter. I'm preparing to, anyway, though. I found a way to heat it, with solar, without solar panels and with very little electricity (just a little fan) by heat exchange. I found it by accident - but are there really accidents where the Lord is concerned? Anyway, for you and my friends here, this is a great way to heat a greenhouse in the winter... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a62mZMIMpc0&feature=related

Garlic is a very forgiving plant soilwise, but doesn't like it's feet wet, I honestly bbelieve the sweeteners of the soil can change the garlic flavor intensity, but never set out to prove it... 7700' are you in Vail? Or the valleys on the way up? You could plant now if the nites are that cool, and 4" to 6" would be good- they'll grow in snow tho, but the ice will halt em a bit

We got almost 2" of rain last night and we have a chance of rain daily for the rest of the week. Woohoo!!

This morning, in the sweltering humidity, we planted our broccoli and cabbage. We'll see how that goes! The black eyed peas I planted a couple of weeks ago are doing great! The horribly hot temps we've had lately don't seem to have bothered them one bit.

Linda ~ Where do you get the energy to dance?? I guess I am getting old (70) so not so much energy. I used to love to dance. My husband does not, and I don't have the energy to find a new one. LOL!!
Does your husband dance too?

Late yesterday evening, I went out to water my RB. I had read somewhere about putting a fabric softener sheet in your pocket to keep away mosquitoes. I tried it once before, and didn't think it worked. But, as I headed out, and remembering the Dallas, Tx. West Nile outbreak, I grabbed two sheets. I put one in my breast pocket, and one in my collar on the back of my neck.

I didn't so much as hear a buzz from a mosquito the whole time I was out there. Either they were taking a break, or it worked!

My turnips are coming up nicely (Hakeuri -- would love to switch to an OP but haven't found anything similar except a radish) and I seeded in some of the gaps just now. The carrots are starting to peek up.

The peas are up but not very happy. It's a bit hot for them yet but if they don't get a move on they won't fruit before we get a freeze. A few of the cabbage seedlings managed to survive the slugs and are 1" tall. The ones I started in pots the other day just sprouted.

I'm getting fall strawberries. ?! More than I got this spring, and this is a spring bearing variety. Ha! Even the birds aren't looking for them! But my dog loves strawberries and she found them -- and ate half before I could get her off them.

I'm also trying this thing I saw about regrowing celery from the base of a stalk. I'm surprised, but the base I put in water is actually growing leaves! I'll need to move it to a pot in a couple of days.

I can't wait to get home and try the celery. I saw the directions on my FB page. Nicole, what is your soil temp? Did you start the turnips outside? I will be starting seeds in Sept, when I get home and am always afraid it is just too hot.

My soil temp is about 92F right now in the raised beds. But we're having an exceptionally mild August. I think it was the hottest day of August do far and it was only 90F. We've been dipping into the low 70's and even 60's at night -- one day last week it was 61F! So I suspect those soil temps are going to start dropping soon.

Hakueri are sold as a "summer turnip." I don't think much of that statement from a seed company in Maine, but maybe it's more heat resistant? The plants look great -- about 4" tall and nicely leafy. And yes, I direct seeded them.

I have a volunteer beet out there, too. I haven't sown beets in that bed since spring 2011. And one radish has sprouted. I sowed them the 13th.

I have this theory that the seasons are shifting here. All of our seasons have been about 4 weeks early for the past year and a half. We're having September now. I'm sure we'll get another heat wave (or 2 or 3), but I think fall is about to turn the corner.

For those seeding in very hot weather, why don't you shred/cut up some grass clippings (so water can go through them when they mat) and lay loosely on your seeded rows. I did that a few days ago, when I planted hollyhocks and harebells to get them started before winter, and the sun was thwarted a little- enough to give them warmth but not dry out the seed bed or cook the seeds. They're happy little campers and a ton of them came up. I used very loosely strewn barley straw on each row. It helps to know where they're planted, too. Just a thought.

Tried the grass clippings once, never again. Even the squash seeds could not push up thru them. Plus we have burmuda grass and St. Augustine, both are "sprigged" to start new lawns. Every piece makes a new plant!

Yeah, you would need well dried rye grass for that- laid on too thick smothers everything under it, that's why farmers don't let mowed hay stay on the ground once dried. If you are growing garlic in a pot that is let's say, in your windowsill? You can set the clump on top of your soil and it will grow and root without being buried at all.

Ah...I have bluegrass. I mulched the garlic bed with it, and they came out fine. I can see your dilemma, though cala, if the grass blades sprout. Straw hay is what I used in the potato bed, to mulch, and I want to take advantage of the sun's heat to help warm at night so plan to build beds with cement blocks, then do rock mulching, with probably small sandstone slabs and lava rock or straw hay between raised beds.

Speaking of potatoes... how long does it take the plants to start to form tubers? My plants are two months old now with healthy top growth, but peeking under the straw I don't see any sign of baby tubers. Granted, I didn't dig down too aggressively to get near the seed potato since I didn't want to disturb the plants too much, but I would think I'd see *something.*

After careful thought, I am not gonna have homemade compost in time for my fall/wtr garden, and I'm curbing the garden $$ for a minute. But, all is not lost! I've been reading how to stretch the compost I DO have available and spread the benefits to the veggie garden by using just a small amount of finished compost (like 1/2 a 5-gallon buckets worth), and making compost tea!

I was gonna raid the HUMONGOUS finished compost pile at the DH's home (he owes me...), but, if I make compost TEA instead, I'd only need a bucketful of the finished compost every so often (much less likely he'll object...)

Please send me some feedback on how ya'll apply compost tea in your veggie gardens, ok? Your contributions to my gardening education are very much appreciated!

Now. For the weekend:

My first batch of cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower seedlings are at least 1.5" tall and trying to throw out a 1st set of new leaves already. They were sown on August 6th (same date I sowed seeds last year.)

I attribute this fast growth to the hodge podge seed starter mix I used this time (TWO different seed starter mixes + the Roots Organics potting mix that got dumped together in a huge Rubbermaid tub at the end of last season). I just sterilized the mix in the microwave before I used it. Based on our observations from last year, I knew the RO would kick in and make them grow faster than usual -- a good thing when you need a seedling to hurry up and grow!

So, since the hands-on "How to build raised beds" class I signed up for tomorrow morning is rescheduled, I'll be separating the multiple seedlings instead, starting seeds for a second batch of cabbages, cauliflowers, and broccoli, and starting the mustards, collards, Brussels Sprouts (gonna give them another shot), and onions.

And, mixing up the 2nd half of the mix for RB #2. I've got to get some garden soil from the dirt yard. Ya'll and the research has convinced me of why I don't have any active garden life (earthworms, et al) -- they need the microorganisms that live in the dirt! I'm too sterile!

Steph,
Is it too soon to start a batch of Wando and Little Marvel Green Peas outdoors? You grew these last season, yes?

The compost tea will help get you going, but I've never seen the need to constantly reapply once the soil is alive again. The microcritters do need organic material to multiply... not necessarily more critter infusions.

It might be different in climates where they freeze up good in the winter. No doubt the microcritters are acclimated, but the tea might help give their populations a boost in the spring.

The boy installed another one of the raised beds while I was at the grocery store. 2 more to go and then I can start filling them, getting the pathways down, fencing... okay, I'm not that much closer to done. But a little bit. This weekend the plan is to get the other two in and also get a couple of loads from the city compost pile.

Well, they call it "compost" but it's really just semi-composted leaf litter. I use it for mulch in the landscaping beds mostly, and around the strawberries, brambles and fruit trees. When the new raised beds are done, I'll probably use some of that as well coffee grounds and anything else I can scrounge, including my own meager compost pile.

Last time I used a lot of manure, but with the new persistent broadleaf herbicides I don't think I want it. I don't even know if straw is safe anymore. My meat farmer raises everything on pasture, and I know he doesn't spray anything, but since there's no feed lot or barn there's also no manure pile! He might have composted chicken manure since the chickens tend to congregate together anyway. I have a local source of mushroom compost, but it isn't organic and mushroom growing is *very* chemically oriented. Same problem with cotton gin compost.

I need some more bulk organic matter but at this point I don't know what else to add.

Some chemicals are organic, just boosted with special additives, mushroom compost is mostly chicken poop and straw, I love it before they start cookin it down, but I worked with some Really fast drainin poor soil at the time. Weeds, pulled green, packed tightly into a bucket you can cover, pour rainwater to cover and allow to stand I think overnite? Is a good tea

Last spring I was able to get a trailer load (4X9) of aged horse manure it turned out to be the best additive i have used ..As soon as this latest round of rain dries I am headed to get more Very wet and foggy here this morning

I'm starting to think I just have to buy a bunch of sterilized bagged stuff... only I need about 6 cu yards! I will call the best local source we have for bulk soil and amendments tomorrow and grill him on what he has. I know he's a stand-up guy -- he'll tell me what he knows about his sources, and what he doesn't know.

Today I cleaned up old tomato plants, taking cuttings from the Porter tomato, and raked smooth, and planted 4 rows of goodies for this fall.

The last 20 feet of each row is for corn (early and often -- should be done in 64 days).

In the first 20 feet of row, I planted cauliflower (cassius), and cabbage (derby day), split the next 20 foot row with cauliflower (all the year round) and kale (nero di toscana {dinosaur}). Filled another 20' with spinach (space), and the last row was broccoli, two kinds (arcadia and pircicaba).

I hope some of it comes up. Planted plenty! Hoping to have to thin.

Still want to plant lettuce, several varieties of butterhead. And carrots, beets, turnips, kolrobhi, swiss chard in the flower beds, and bush beans. And more corn! I figure if it doesn't get done before the first freeze, the goats could use it as feed, stalks and all.

Also want to research more on strawberries -- in TX. I keep trying and keep failing in the berry department. This will be my last year to invest (waste) money on it -- It is almost time to admit defeat.

I have high hopes. And trying to plant by the moon signs -- need all the help I can get!

gretagreenthumb wrote: Also want to research more on strawberries -- in TX. I keep trying and keep failing in the berry department. This will be my last year to invest (waste) money on it -- It is almost time to admit defeat.

Wichita Falls is very dry, sea level, but dry enough to give you nose bleeds when you aren't used to it, you need a raised bed- and I believe we use wood shavings heavy in the beds in that area for strawberries, you will have slugs and pill bugs

Not sure about Wichita Falls, but in deep south TX we grow them as annuals, just like Bernie in MN does, except we plant ours in late fall to winter for a spring crop. We just plant in raised beds in a compost/soil mixture. When they're through bearing we toss them out. It is cheaper and easier for us to buy new plants instead of trying to baby them thru the hot summer.

Greta,
That's a GREAT list! Have you grown the Arcadia Broccoli before? I did last season, and it is on the top of my short list for the cole crops. Absolutely gorgeous blue-green leaves, pretty enough for the landscape garden, too! And, they are prolific, so once you cut the main head, it will continue to throw out NICE sized side shoots, right on up until either the aphids or the heat makes you take it down!

Ya'll, I have a question about planting orientation. Seems like Greta and I are growing the same stuff, and I'm in raised beds too (two 4x8'). The 8' long side of my beds runs east-west. The beds are toward the south end of the yard. Which direction should I place the tall stuff like the broccoli and cauliflowers so they don't shade the cabbages too much?

The root stuff is going in the 2nd bed next to the 1st, since it gets a bit less sun that the 1st bed. I also have a couple more planting areas availble. One 3x12' area is on the west fence line running north-south on the north end, and one 3 x 10' area is on the north fence line running east-west. Both of these areas get full sun most of the day.

Only RB #1 has stuff in it right now. Bell peppers (fruiting nicely), eggplants (just starting to fruit) and okra (just fruiting). I'm in the process of filling RB #2.

Seedlings are indoors under fluorescent lights. My targeted plant out date is mid-September

Update on the mushroom compost: I spoke with the supplier and he agreed with my concerns. He said that the spend mushroom media he gets is only used once, which is much cleaner and gets a fraction of the chemicals. He had other stuff, but that was what he recommended for my beds. I'm getting a truckload next week.

Linda - In Houston, I don't think you need to worry about shading your cabbages too much unless the broc and cauliflower are already large and the cabbages are tiny and close to them. A little shade early on may be a boon if it gets hot again.

The way the plants are set in RB#1, they make a perfect stairstep growth from front to back. The bells are first on the east end, then the squash a little taller in the middle, then the okras in the back. Very nice. The morning sun starts from the bottom on the bells, then moves directly over the bed til around noon, then starts moving over the okra from around midday on, setting in the west, behind the okras.

Hmmmmmmm. You know, the more I explain things to you guys, the more I answer my own questions! I just figured out how to orient the brocs, cauliflowers, and cabbages in that bed! Same way as it's planted now! Cabbages on the east end, then the cauliflowers, then the broccs in the back. Duh!

That might be why neighboring tomatoes produced differently for your neighbors- diff side of the street, beds oriented north to south instead of east to west- protection of walls/fences in differing sides of the plants so that sun and air were 'applied' atdifferent times. Just noting..

I had garden room so I decided to plant more peas. I had a 1/2 pound packet of Cascadia Sugar Snaps so I just planted them. Funny thing is the ones already growing I planted 7/21 and these now a month later at 8/21. It might be really late. But my gut tells me those on 7/21 went in slightly early and these are going in slightly late. We will see what happens.

No, NicoleC,
That is a pic from last fall-winter. I believe that shot was taken on 1/13/11, and was from a batch of very late transplants, I believe in November.

There were other first batch seedlings that went in around mid-September. Like this one.

My cabbage seedlings inside are around 2" too. And growing fast. The broc and cauliflower seedlings are 3.5" tall. I need to transplant them to drinking water bottles yesterday, so they'll stop flopping all over the place. Not going out for hardening off until 9/8 and transplant into the RB on 9/15.

Starting another batch of seedlings Labor Day weekend. Staggering the plant out for every 3-4 weeks September 15 until December 20th. That's the cut off date until January 8th when the second batch of onion transplants go out, and the tomato seedlings will be almost ready for hardening off and plantout by mid-February.

Other than succession planting of garden turnips and radishes, what I've got now if what I've got time for. Getting cabbage to grow to full size before it gets cold and just sits there is always a challenge here.

I'm loving the mild temps and low humidity this week and so is my garden. 90 day, 60 night? 38% humidity? Whee...this is like So Cal again. Gonna be 57F tonight. I may have to get a blanket out.

I hope everyone in Florida and along the coast is ready to batten down the hatches and stay safe for Isaac.

We are ready with out most important things in the truck and ready to head north should we need to. I can't get my Dad and his wife to come with us, but seeing as how they manage to survive a lot worse I think they would be ok. We have two collies and even through there are shelters here that will allow you to bring your pets, I would rather go inland or north to move from it. The rest of our belongs are just belongs and should something hit here and take it all, so long is all I have to say to it...LOL, but seriously I'm hoping for it to say way east out in the atlantic and pray for it to never come near land anywhere.

TD Debbie was enough, we only had minor damage, roof, pool cage and fence which are fixed now...

Planted potatoes and green beans today. Dang, I'm tired and a bit sore. Yesterday, I managed to get some butterhead lettuce planted (little gem and vivian). The beans (tendergreen improved) should be ready in 52 days. That should be a three weeks or so before our first predicted frost. The potatoes were leftovers from this summer's scant harvest, mostly yokan.

Strawberries --
-- Nicole, I have not heard of any problem with nematodes. Hope I don't get the privledge of discovering them anytime soon.
-- Kittriana, thanks for the advice (you need a raised bed- and I believe we use wood shavings heavy in the beds in that area for strawberries, you will have slugs and pill bugs). I did have a raised bed and managed to keep the berries alive most of the hot hot summer. Sadly, that particular bed has been hijacked by butterhead lettuce. Pill bugs we do have, but thankfully no slugs to speak of -- so far.
-- Calalily, I have finally decided to quite trying to get strawberriesthrough the summer -- can't do it here either! Please tell, what variety do you plant and where do you get them. I thought I'd get a bed ready for planting - once I get my fall plantings in.

I'm planting in a large garden (think country living) and the rows run east to west. My biggest problem is the 5 huge pecan trees that are providing way too much shade. And once those pecans fall, I fear my veggie plants will get trampled. It will be interesting.

I still want to order a few seeds -- nothing decent can be found in town! I sure wish I had done this when this thread started a while back. . . just could not get motivated then. . . too too many other things on the burner then.

It has been fun getting outside again and playing in the dirt, just wish it did not hurt so much come evening.

Still no cabbage seedlings, so I think we'll have to plant more. Wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that hubby didn't water them when he planted??? Hmmmm...!!!

We're going to pull out most of our Hill Country Red okra to make room for more fall planting. Need to plant bush beans, lettuce, and cukes this weekend. I need to look for some pickling cukes or regular cuke seeds as we only have Lemon cukes leftover from this spring.

Steph,
I checked this morning and my cabbage, brocc, and cauliflower seedlings are all a full 4" tall and laying over on the trays, so, I have got to pot them up to the drinking water bottles this weekend. And, then they need to be moved to the "cool" room to keep growing comfortably, and so I can put the next set of seedlings under lights in the "warm" room.

I still haven't finished filling the 2nd RB, but the pedal is to the metal! I'm going tomorrow get a 1/2 yard of compost and 1/2 yard veggie garden soil to mix in with the pine bark fines. Thanks for all ya'lls input about the need for some DIRT. I need/want worms!

It's gonna be a long day, cause I've got about three other engagements on tomorrow's schedule, too.

Do other people hate it as much as I do, when stuff crowds out the garden schedule?

Ive got broccoli and snow peas up and growing.Started them outside since so warm. Hope to get green beans going this weekend along with Gai Lan and carrots radishes and beets. Might wait on the root veggies. will try to sow lettuce then as well. tomatoes are growing but still too hot to produce.

So far, I have sown broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbages, some lettuces, baby pak choy ,and sprigarillo. But I feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants - our well has been down for over 2 weeks!! New well is suppose to be drilled/dug either tomorrow or the next day. I am so tired of hauling water in!! It's a 30 mile round trip to get it. we've been using most of the toted water to drink and flush toilets. My poor potted babies are really suffering with all the hot weather we've been having. And it may be another week before we have water. Couldn't drill next to the old well, so both the electric lines and water lines need to be rerouted to the house from the new well. Otherwise the well guy was going to have to chop down one of my persimmon trees (NO WAY!! It is loaded with green fruit!), and bury the new well casing in concrete - because the old well wasn't 50 feet from the septic or the neighbors property line.
.
This weekend I want to get some cukes, dill, 3 kinds of peas, and zucchini planted. Also need to clear the bean trellis, bring in a couple of truck loads of manure, and till!! Sure hope the expected rain co-operate!!

Does anyone know when we plant jicama or fennel here in zone 8/9 of Texas?

Greta, Bernie from Country Gardens told me about the Seascape variety from Indiana Berry Company. I had tasted them at his farm when Bud and I stopped to visit last year. He has the best set-up for growing berries.

My plan for tomorrow is to get up fairly early, do some stretching for my back, then get out in the garden. I need to get the cabbage seeds in the ground, pull out 2 rows of okra, take cuttings from the tomato plants and get those planted, pull out the spring tomatoes, and then plant cukes, lettuce, and bush beans.

Hi -- I want to plant my first ever winter vege garden this year. Yesterday, perusing this forum, I came across a link to a website that had plant dates for various vegetables based on the earliest frost date for your area. I've just scrolled through this whole topic and now I cannot find it again! Am I blind? Sorry, but could someone post the link again? Thanks!

Linda I just haven't had the motivation this year for the driveway crop.

I did save some of the snow peas I grew from spring and dried in a windowsill. I soaked them overnight and will put them in some seed starter mix today.

Think I mentioned my iguana eats greens only - herbivore - and she costs us the most pound for pound of any of our critters. It makes too much sense for me to try to grow my own. I guess I'd better pray for some motivation.

Last week I got tired of all the dried bamboo in the drive I've been saving all summer and dragged it to the curb. I heard the municipal truck out there for what seemed like an hour trying to feed it all in. Bless them. :D

I've only got a few of the purple trionfono pole beans growing on netting. If they don't do too well all I will get is a handful of dried beans to plant again next season.

I scored 10 garbage bags full of coffee grounds today. Competition from other gardeners is pretty keen behind the Starbucks, so showing up when the bin is overflowing is a rarity. (Showing up when the bin isn't completely empty is rare, too.)

You can use coffee grounds as-is -- you can add them to a compost pile but you don't need to. They won't burn your plants. I mix them into my soil if I am setting up a new bed, put it on top (under mulch) if it's an established bed or I know some people who put a little bit in the hole with new seedlings.

I don't think they draw worms any more than any other organic material that isn't "hot." When I raised worms they'd ignore my coffee grounds in favor of almost an nasty, rotted vegetable product. The more mold and slime the better they liked it. :-/

Amanda ~ Did you save enough bamboo poles for staking plants next year, or do you have more growing?

NYRita ~ When will you be starting your tomatoes for next year? And when can you safely put them out? This year, I put mine out too late, but last year we had a lot of late cold weahter and frosts, hail and snow. This year was completely different. I put mine out at the end of May. Maybe I will put out a few "test pilots" in March, April and then May. I really had enough leftovers and put them all in pots or in the ground, though I lost a few to gophers, darn!!

Nicole ~ Wow, that is a lot of coffee grounds. Are you going to put them in the compost pile or directly onto your garden beds?

last year I grew some winter radish turned out really good and if I could remember the exact cultivar I would gladly postit so if anyone wants this info I can get it from the Co Op I had a lot more seed from last year so just planted the leftover this season and it is already up HOORAY PS the radish kept all thru the winter??? was kinda nice to go out to the garden in January and pull some radish..

That's not a lot of compost grounds when you spread them over 600 sq ft. :) I'm saving these just for my new garden beds (300 sq ft) Perhaps next weekend I'll try to ring the jackpot bell at Starbucks again. There's less competition as we start to head into fall and winter.

evelyn, I have always before just bought tomato seedlings at the nursery so this starting of tomato seeds is going to be a new thing for me. So I still have to figgure out exactly when I should be starting them. I have my tomatoes out and in ground by May 8th.

Hey, great blog!!! The tomato seed starting is going to be quite the adventure for me. I have never started tomatoes before but the darn things start themselves from dropped fruit all the time so they must want to grow. I do start peas, cucumbers, melons, brocolli, beats, greens. Well, things like that.

Rita ~ You will do just fine. Tomatoes are really easy. I even planted all of my leftover seedlings everywhere...in pots, in the ground...of which some, the gophers ate, along with the beans growing up with them...darn!! It is just if you get a very late spring, like last year with a lot of cold weather...just put out a few and then if you lose some, you will have more "waiting in the wings..."And you don't even have to go to buy any!! That is the nice thing that you have many more choices when it comes to varieties. Of course you have leftover seeds, and that is when you get into seed trading so you can try someone else's seeds too!

Most of mine are in Square Foot Gardens (4'x4') boxes, with hardware cloth on the bottoms, or in large pots. Some are growing in the amended soil in the ground, but they are smaller, so far.

This is the SECOND weekend in a row I haven't spent much time out in the garden doing anything but watering/feeding. And, the seedlings under the lights don't need anything much, so I've not done anything there either. And, I keep feeling like I need to be doing something other than nothing!

Went to a gardening seminar two weeks ago. Master gardener from Corpus Christi? gave us her fertilizer recipe, and I bought ingredients last week, and fertilized last Monday. The plants seem to be happy. Nothing's dying anywhere.

Here's Mary Demeny’s Fertilizer recipe:
Add the following to a 20-gallon can of water (I had standing rainwater, so they got extra nitro):
2 cups alfalfa pellets
2 cups Epsom salt
1 cup Medina Hasta Gro (lawn food fertilizer; Google it)
1 cup fish emulsion
20 drops SuperThrive
Mix with a shovel or long stick. Use rubber gloves to avoid skin contact. Use a watering can with the sprinkler removed to apply to the base of plants.

Amount to apply: Pour for 3 to 5 seconds for large plants, less for smaller plants.

I used a small pail (quart size?) and poured half a pail on each plant, since most of them are almost uniform size.

NOTE: YOU MUST KEEP STIRRING so the alfalfa pellets don't settle to the bottom of the water!

After this first time, my next batch will have a slight modification. I will soak the alfalfa pellets to soften them, run them through the blender, then pour the slurry into the water. That way, the alfalfa can be even distributed in the mix.

Question: My Okras are slowing down (not that they ever really took off), and wondering when to pull them? It's gonna take manpower to pull up those stalks. Some are almost silver dollar diameter! Too bad they didn't give me many okra pods. But, better yield than last year, so progress was made.

Here's a pic of my seedlings inside. They are flopping all over the place, and most leaves are larger than half a paper dollar bill. Potting up time for sure, since they aren't going out until mid-September.

We had a very early spring here this year but who knows what it will be like next spring. I do have two tomato plants in pots but really like to grow my tomatoes in ground.

And there are soooooooo many varieties if you want to start from seed. I have already ordered and received some seeds and ordered some that has not arrived yet.

But I can't wait until October which is when Heritage Tomato Seeds will be taking orders. And I will be ordering some of those New Dwarf varieties. I figgured out I have eight spots (in ground) I think will be perfect for the dwarf varieties. And since I plan on ordering four varieties I will have two plants each which I think will work out very well for me. Maybe start some extras, put some out early and have backups just in case.

Rita ~ You can also check the various seed trading forums...here on DG, Tomatoville.com, ATP, cubits, GardenWeb...etc... And there are oh, so many more new forums popping up everywhere on magazine websites, and other places commercial and non-commercial...so many kinds of tomatoes, your head will be spinning until spring!!! ^_^

I was making a joke about helicopter parents, always hovering around. You were saying you felt like you needed to do something.

It's pretty slow here, too. Just waiting for the seedlings to grow up. They should like the cloudy stormy weather coming -- the heat yesterday and today has the turnips pretty stressed. It's time to sow some more radishes, tho.

It wasn't so much "hovering" as feeling I have so much to do that hasn't been getting done for one reason or another, and mostly for reasons beyond my control -- hence, God's plan for me to not be getting it done, for His reasons, and under HIS control!

Although, I do feel rested, and, my back is doing much better... Hmmmmmmmmmm...

Calalily -- thanks for the Seascape Strawberry recommendation. You didn't say, how did they taste??

Gymgirl -- strawberries in buckets. I love it. So, 12 plants per bucket. Drill 1-1 1/2" holes and place 2 on top. Does that sound about right. Now, next question, when??? Would you do this in Oct/Nov? Oh, must ask, potting soil? Any special combo?

Your strawberry buckets are awesome Linda!! That's an ebucket, isn't it? I used a strawberry pot for the strawberry plants I bought at Wal-Mart this Spring. Only one plant produced a couple of leaves, then they all promptly turned brown and died. I thought we were suppose to plant them in the Spring!! Now I hear they will do better here in the Fall? I haven't looked for any more plants, sure hope I can find some.

Speaking of fertilizer, I feel so privileged!! Today was the second time this week a couple of lost cows spent the day wandering around our property and depositing lovely piles of fertilizer, mostly back in the garden area. How convenient is that?!! Silly husband called the county sheriff's office and they stopped by around nightfall to check them out. Tomorrow they are suppose to come back and decide if they are going to take them.They sure seem to like it here. We have the only cleared area out here with LOTS of grass to eat.(I haven't got on the mower for about a month, due to rain, or company. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! lol)). The cows aren't tagged or marked in any way. None of the neighbors know of anyone who owns cows out here, and nobody has reported any missing. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

Discovered today my new potting shed/greenhouse is to hot for new seedlings! It's great for sprouting them, but not good to leave anything under cover or in a closed container once they are sprouted. What temp should newly sprouted seedlings be in? Do I need to put air-conditioning out there?

TBaby,
Here's the rest of the story! Sorry not sooner, but Samsung phone not cooperating. It's no wonder Apple won that judgement for Iphone "knock-off" infringement!

The strawberry eBucket has an overturned colander for a built-in reservoir. It was filled with a mix of pine bark fines and MG potting MIX (not soil). Strawberries are WATER HOGS, so the reservoir really saved me on days when I was just not able or inclined to get out and water.

Here's the link to my eBucket construction tutorial. Just start your holes above the colander level and stagger them in each row. And, yes, I used a 1-1/2" hole saw for the holes.

Ok, I finally got to pot up seedlings last night. One and 1/2 of two 15-cell seed trays turned into 45 seedlings in individual drinking water bottles! They multiply like TRIBBLES! (old Star Trek episode, "The Trouble with Tribbles). I still have 2-1/2 trays to pot up, so I'm guess-timating there will be approx. 120 seedlings in this 1st batch. But, folks are lined up already, so that's not many at all. Starting another batch this weekend.

What amazed me is the difference from the very first time I potted up seedlings and last night. I grabbed those leaves and yanked and tugged, and my whole thought was, " either you're gonna make it, or not!" No babying here! LOL!

After the up potting, I bottom-watered them in the trays. I put a drop of Super Thrive and two capsful of Hydrogen Peroxide in a gallon of water, then put them to bed in the dark for the night. They were crisp this morning, which is a good sign!

These seedlings could actually be hardened off and put out into the garden next week, but, my RBs aren't ready to receive them just yet, and it's still too hot out FOR ME.

But we have a loooong weekend, ahead, so I'll be getting a yard of veggie soil and a yard of compost to finish filling RB #2. I think I'm gonna pull the okras from the buckets, too. They have little pods on them, but they're slowing down, and they were already growing at a snail's pace. The three stalks in RB #1 are huge, and I'm afraid to even see how far down the roots go!

Any advice on how to get these stalks out of that bed would be appreciated. How do ya'll get yours out?

Found some tiny caterpillars eating my cabbage seedlings yesterday (I have them outside in the shade). Took care of that little problem. Sorry guys, I want to eat those. They are about ready for transplant. I'll probably to that today. Meanwhile 2 of the ones i direct seeded in the garden managed to survive the slugs.

Some of my garden turnips are ready. I guess I know what is for dinner tonight! It's gonna rain buckets here over the next several days in to the weekend. I gave them a good watering the other day so hopefully the radishes and turnips won't suck up all the extra water and split.

Regarding big stalks... I just cut them off at the base. I figure the roots are good organic material as they rot. Some things do get pretty persistent and keep trying to come up. And it does require planting around them a bit.

Nice looking seedlings, Gymgirl! I went out to water this morning and discovered a bunch of dead and dying leaves on my Anaheims in the bale. Further inspection revealed a white puffy web beneath on leaf (which is now burned to a crisp by the way/the others thrown in the trash). I was just sick. I gave the peppers a spattering of compost tea, but I think I'll have to break down and get some Neem oil for those plants. That was an awful sight. Just overnight, too.

I finally have transplants in the raised bed that will eventually be covered with the greenhouse (we always kidded my dad for buying livestock and THEN building a fence for them - now I'm doing the same. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, alright). The Squash, Okra, and Beefsteak Tomatoes are doing well after transplant. I planted some Bantam corn on the north end of the bed (which runs north and south) and it's not up yet. The Moon and Stars watermelons are all wilted looking, then perky, then wilted. They don't like their new home, but I have shaded them from our harsh sun, here, and they're hanging in there. The others are still in a pot in the hothouse awaiting another bed. I sure felt my age getting that first bed done. I wish I'd done all this when I was 20, lol, and I'd just be enjoying the spoils by now. I had to do it a little at a time. Dreading the next one. There will be three beds, and the rest of the crops will be in pots. First frost can be at the end of the first week of September here, so I'm scrambling. I already have most of the cattle panels (which will be crimped together to span a little less than 32 feet for a total finished area of 14' x 20' greenhouse. That should give me some headroom, and not be as closed-in feeling as the 7' tall hothouse (cattle panel covered with cheap clear tarp). Beds will be in cement blocks like the first one. Murderous moving those, by the way. A little at a time, though, and one finally gets to the destination.
Blessings everyone!
DJ